Movie Review: "Neighbors" Shows That We Never Want To Grow Up Accompanied By Lots Of Laughs.

Neighbors

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Lisa Kudrow.
Rated R for pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout.

You already know if you want to see Neighbors or not. This review is not meant to convince all to go see it, because the humor is not for everybody. What I will say to those of you who think you'll enjoy Neighbors is that you're right! There's usually at least one solid R-rated comedy that comes out each year, and so far that title belongs to Neighbors. We'll see if it is still king once 22 Jump Street comes out.


Neighbors tells the story of a 30-something married couple who have just bought their first house and have a young baby. Their seemingly quite suburban life is threatened when their next door neighbors turn out to be a frat-house that host raging parties all night, every night. At first, Mac and Kelly (Rogen and Byrne) don't want to seem like the lame old neighbors, so they try to welcome the frat brothers, led by Teddy and Pete (Efron and Franco), by giving them a house-warming gift...weed. Mac and Kelly even end up partying with the brothers at first, but then as the parties go on and on keeping them and their baby awake, the gloves must come off. What results is an all-out war between the two houses.

You know you're going to get some crude humor with Rogen in charge and this kind of premise, and there's plenty of that to go around. What is really surprising and refreshing is that every character has the same fear: growing old and accepting that reality. Mac and Kelly want to prove that even though they are now parents, they can still party and have a good time. Teddy and Pete (mostly Teddy) are living in the moment and enjoying their frivolous youth. Teddy clearly doesn't want the party to end, because what is he going to do with his life once the party's over? These character developments make the film elevate above the typical gross-out comedy, and make the characters all the more relatable.

The gags are hilarious and the performances are solid. I loved how well Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne played off each other. They worked as a team and that made them more believable as a couple. Efron and Franco are both great as the leading frat brothers. You really believe in their friendship and motives. I really questioned Mac and Kelly's capabilities as parents for most of the film, but by the end I felt that they would turn out to be decent parents. While the film had me smiling and laughing throughout the majority of it, I did not have a lot of gut-wrenching laughs as I have been known to have in similar comedies like 21 Jump Street or The Hangover. That being said, this is one of the funnier raunchy comedies with some heart that has come out in recent years.

RATING: B+